02/23/2017 ISSUE 08

Harbor Branch creates seagrass
nursery to aid lagoon. P7
Marine Bank reports
a successful year. P4
My Vero: Dodgertown still

part of spring training pilgrimages. P12

Vero may soon sell Will Coach Joe
Dodgertown Golf be reinstated as
Course for homes teacher tonight?

BY RAY MCNULTY BY RAY MCNULTY
Staff Writer Staff Writer

Vero Beach City Manager Conn Beach dunes and stairs were still under repair, but beach was crowded on Presidents Day. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD Embattled Sebastian River
Jim O'Connor said he plans High School criminal justice
to recommend the City Coun- Four months after Matthew, beach repair near completion teacher Joe Nathaniel, who has
cil accept a $2.7 million offer been on paid suspension for
from a Palm Beach Gardens- BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA walk and dune before next all been replaced, but with more than a year after physi-
based real estate developer Staff Writer Tuesday’s start of the turtle only days to go until the tur- cally subduing a violent stu-
seeking to purchase the 35- nesting season. tle nesting deadline halts all dent during a classroom scuf-
acre parcel on which the long- While sun worshippers work on beaches, more re- fle, could be reinstated tonight.
defunct Dodgertown Golf packed Vero’s Conn Beach The sand that Hurricane mained to be done.
Club was built more than 50 this week, workers rushed to Matthew washed out from School Board Chairman
years ago. finish repairs to the board- under the boardwalk and The $319,375 Conn Beach Charles Searcy last week
road last November has now called a special meeting to
Murphy Garlinge & Associ- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 decide Nathaniel’s fate in the
ates, which has been trying to wake of a state administra-
buy the land for the past year, tive law judge’s Jan. 31 recom-
wants to build a 280-unit resi- mendation that the teacher
dential development that will be exonerated of all charges
be compatible with the His- brought against him by the
toric Dodgertown backdrop. school district.

"We still need to review “Rather than take up this
some of the details in the matter during our regular
contract, but in my opinion, board meeting on Feb. 28, I
based on the information I felt this issue deserves our to-
have today, this is a good of- tal attention,” Searcy said of

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

After $4 million loss, IRMC leaders Who is buying
put a range of options on the table Sebastian River
Medical Center?
BY MICHELLE GENZ ports showing a $4 million loss. An aerial photo of Sebastian River Medical Center. PHOTO BY BRUCE CADY
Staff Writer Now turmoil swirls again. BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer
It was less than a month IRMC’s chief competitor, Se-
ago that Indian River Medi- bastian River Medical Center, After breaking ground in Au-
cal Center faced a double jolt was sold for the second time gust on Sebastian River Medi-
when its CEO announced an in three years – just as IRMC cal Center’s big 90,000-square-
unforeseen retirement amid leadership officially began foot, $64 million expansion
first-quarter financial re- taking a hard look at whether
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

February 23, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 8 Newsstand Price $1.00 Beloved Patisserie
chef Mark Edmonds
News 1-14 Faith 86 Pets 85 TO ADVERTISE CALL dead at 47. Page 10
Arts 39-46 Games 63-65 Real Estate 89-104 772-559-4187
Books 58-59 Health 67-73 St Ed’s 84
Dining 78 Insight 47-66 Style 74-77 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 56 People 15-38 Wine 79 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2017 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Dodgertown Golf Course Though he hasn't yet seen any de- leaf for youth baseball and softball at clubhouse, now used for storage by
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sign plans for the development of the neighboring Historic Dodgertown. the Recreation Department's mainte-
property, O'Connor said the prelimi- nance crews.
fer," O'Connor said Monday after- nary proposal would "conform to the The remaining 35 acres now sit idle
noon. "This property has been on the area." – the nine-hole golf course ceased "We would free up about $300,000
market for a considerable period of operations in 2004 – while the city a year if we take this deal," O'Connor
time, and we've had some other offers The city paid the Los Angeles Dodg- continues to pay more than $650,000 said. "Or we can hang on to the prop-
that were considerably lower. ers $10 million for the golf-course annually to repay the two $5 million erty for another year and pay another
property in 2005, near the peak of the loans it used to buy the land. $600,000."
"The property has been appraised local real-estate boom. The parcel is
at about $3 million," he added, "but I southeast of the intersection of Avia- O'Connor said the city still owes Patrick Murphy, founder of the firm
think this tells us what the market will tion Boulevard and 43rd Avenue. "about $5.5 million" on the loans, that wants to buy the land, said he
bear." which, according to the current amor- has already raised his offer twice and
The original 37.5-acre parcel was re- tization schedule, won't be paid off won't do so again.
The sale will be placed on the agen- duced by 2 1/2 acres as a result of the until October 2025. In addition, the
da for the council's March 7 meeting, 2012 land swap between the city and city spends more than $15,000 per "A year ago, I offered less than $2
O'Connor said. county, which wanted the property year to mow and maintain the proper- million, then came up to $2.3 million,"
for construction of a four-field clover- ty, which includes the old golf course Murphy said. "The city rejected both
offers, so last month I came back with
$2.5 million and finally agreed to go to
$2.7 million. That's a reasonable offer.
That's my ceiling.

"To go any higher wouldn't make
financial sense," he added. "What the
city paid for the land is irrelevant."

Murphy's firm currently is building
two local developments:

– Bridgehampton, an enclave of 31
single-family homes at 12th Street and
12th Avenue, immediately south of
Crestlawn Cemetery.

– Southampton, a 56-duplex com-
munity on State Road 60, east of 50th
Avenue.

Murphy said he's also planning a
third project but wasn't prepared to
offer details.

As for the golf-course property,
Murphy said his firm is planning to
offer a variety of options, including
townhomes, single-family homes and
residential-over-retail homes.

"We want to build a high-quality com-
munity with time-period design that
blends in with the surroundings, partic-
ularly Dodgertown," Murphy said. "It's
not going to be a cookie-cutter develop-
ment. It's going to be unique."

Murphy said developing the proper-
ty would be at least a three-year proj-
ect, which makes it a gamble because,
"We'll be at the mercy of fluctuations
in the real-estate market."

When Vero Beach bought the land,
city officials were determined to pre-
serve green space during the building
boom and envisioned the golf course
being converted into a park. Instead,
the grounds were abandoned, except
for the occasional grass cutting. Last
spring, the city put the parcel on the
market. 

Coach Joe

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the special Thursday meeting, sched-
uled for 5:30 p.m. at the School Board
chamber.

“It’s the only item on the agenda, so
we can give it a full and fair hearing,
and I expect we’ll have some mem-
bers of the community who will want

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 3

NEWS

to address the board before we vote,” and all of them sided with the teacher ing teachers to protect students from case objectively has come down on my
he added. “This was the soonest we and defended his actions. harmful conditions and prohibiting side,” Nathaniel said. “I’m still hearing
could get it scheduled.” teachers from intentionally embar- from people who have read the judge’s
In his charging document, however, rassing students. ruling and laughed at how he ripped
Schools Superintendent Mark Rendell alleged that Nathaniel escalat- apart the district’s case.
Rendell, who 14 months ago recom- ed the incident by taunting Speights, Nathaniel, who plans to attend the
mended that Nathaniel be fired for continuing to move toward the teen meeting, would not venture a predic- “Clearly, this had nothing to do with
violating professional standards and in an aggressive manner, physically tion as to what the board will decide, what happened in that classroom,” he
School Board policies, did not want to abusing and yelling at him. but he said Rendell would be a “fool” added. “This was personal. This was
comment on the judge’s ruling until to stand by his charges. retaliation.”
the board resolved the issue, district Rendell also accused Nathaniel of
spokesman Flynn Fidgeon wrote in an violating School Board policies requir- “Everyone who has looked at this CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
email to Vero Beach 32963.
Exclusively John’s Island
However, Rendell did not file any
written exceptions to the findings of Di- Truly splendid, this 5BR architectural masterpiece expands onto private
vision of Administrative Hearings Judge outdoor living areas centered around the tropically landscaped pool. Nestled
John Van Laningham, who verbally on a quiet cul-de-sac along multiple fairways of the North Course, this 8,694±
shredded the district’s case against Na- GSF retreat features custom finishes and millwork, superbly conceived gourmet
thaniel, which he ruled was based al- kitchen with center island, walk-in wine room, covered patio with built-in
most solely on an incomplete and in- barbecue, luxurious 1st floor master suite, living room with fireplace, den, dining
conclusive student-recorded video. room, cabana with kitchenette, and upper level guest ensuites with balconies.
250 Llwyd’s Lane : $4,200,000
In issuing his recommended order,
Van Laningham wrote that Nathaniel three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
deserved a “pat on the back, not a pink health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
slip” for “keeping a foul-mouthed, de-
fiant and violently aggressive student 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
from causing further damage” during
the Nov. 17, 2015, incident involving
Isaiah Speights.

Searcy said he didn’t know whether
Rendell would continue to push for
Nathaniel’s firing or withdraw his rec-
ommendation, which was based on
an investigation headed by Assistant
Schools Superintendent William Fritz.

“The superintendent has already
made his recommendation, and so
has the judge,” Searcy said. “It’s in our
hands now. It’s the board’s decision.”

Searcy was Nathaniel’s lone sup-
porter on the board at the January 2016
meeting at which Rendell recommend-
ed the teacher’s firing. It was Searcy
who questioned the superintendent’s
decision to seek the harshest possible
penalty for a 13-year employee with a
previously unblemished record.

It was also Searcy who swayed board
members to pay Nathaniel during his
suspension after they had decided to
send the case to the DOAH rather than
vote on Rendell’s recommendation in
front of a large crowd of the teacher’s
supporters.

With Laura Zorc and Tiffany Jus-
tice elected in November to replace
Matt McCain and Claudia Jimenez on
the board – Jimenez had joined then-
chairman Dale Simchick in backing
Rendell’s push to fire Nathaniel –
Searcy would not predict how the new
board will vote tonight.

But he did say: “We decided to get
a recommendation from Tallahas-
see because they’re supposed to have
the experience and expertise in these
matters. We asked the judge to hear
the case and give us his ruling. That’s
what has happened.”

Actually, three outside parties have
now investigated the Nathaniel-Spei-
ghts incident – the Sheriff’s Office,
State Attorney’s Office and DOAH –

4 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Coach Joe again, this time to express his dissat- mother collaborated with the district Nathaniel said he wants to “go back
isfaction with the district’s investiga- in its case against the teacher. to Sebastian River” and resume teach-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 tion into his complaint that some of ing his criminal justice classes, but
Bethel’s former assistants were being The district has denied the allega- he doesn’t know if the district can ac-
Nathaniel has maintained that Ren- referred to on campus derisively as tions, but, in his Sept. 30 deposition for commodate him with less than three
dell and Fritz want to get rid of him “The BBC” – big black coaches. the DOAH case, Fritz admitted that he months remaining in the school year
because district administrators fear his went to court and told County Judge – if he is reinstated by the board.
popularity and can’t control his can- In fact, Nathaniel has accused dis- Joe Wild that the district had no desire
dor – an issue that dates back to his trict administrators of trying to work to press charges against Speights. “If we accept the judge’s recom-
public questioning of Sebastian River’s an underhanded, quid pro quo deal mendation and vote to reinstate
decision to fire longtime football coach with Speights’ family, alleging that Speights pleaded “no contest” to a him,” Searcy said, “I’m going to tell
Randy Bethel after the 2012 season. Fritz offered to urge prosecutors to criminal mischief charge in March, was the superintendent to put him back
drop two misdemeanor criminal adjudicated guilty and placed on proba- to work and get him back in the class-
A year later, Nathaniel went public charges against the teen if he and his tion for 12 months. Prosecutors dropped room.” 
a second charge of school disruption.

Marine Bank reports net profit of $900,000 for 2016

BY RAY MCNULTY assets as of Sept. 30. That number rose Marine Bank President and CEO Bill "We had an excellent year," Penney
Staff Writer from $193 million as of Dec. 31, 2015. Penney said the bank's strong capital said of Marine, which has full-service
position enabled it to focus on growth, branches on Beachland Boulevard and
New residential construction, a re- Top-line revenues were up 11 per- invest in technology and expand into U.S. 1 in Vero Beach. "I'm really proud
surgent real-estate market and the cent from 2015 and, as a result of the northern Indian River County. of what our team has accomplished,
post-recession expansion of small solid performance, Marine main- and the community continues to re-
businesses – along with an increase in tained its "five-star superior" rating He said the cost of the "one-time spond favorably to our style of person-
new deposit accounts – combined to from Bauer Financial, the nation's expenditures" for the technology im- alized banking."
produce another successful year for premier bank-rating firm. provements and Marine's purchase
the only community bank headquar- of the Valley National Bank branch on This is especially true, he said, when it
tered in Vero Beach. The bank also reported a net profit U.S. 1 in Sebastian was "several hun- comes to providing mortgages to home
of $900,000 for the year, despite its dred thousand dollars." However, the buyers and loans to small businesses.
Marine Bank & Trust announced this earnings being impacted by the cost new branch added 565 new customers
week "strong earnings and asset growth of a major technology upgrade during and $13 million in customer deposits, With the local housing market heat-
for 2016," reporting $211 million in total the first half of 2016 and the acquisi- as well as three new employees. ing up, Penney said his goal is for Ma-
tion of a Sebastian branch in October. rine to become the community's lead-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 5

NEWS

ing mortgage lender. In 2016, the bank 2013, coming out of the recession, to open and technology upgrades fully excited to celebrate its 20th birthday.
provided the financing that put 109 increase the size of our home mort- operational – Penney said the mobile "If you can find the 1997 Yellow Pag-
families in new homes and wrote 170 gage department. And now that con- banking, mobile check deposits, e-
residential loans for $48 million. struction is back and more people are statements, electronic signatures and es, go back and see how many banks
moving here and homes are selling, enhanced online capabilities and se- that were here then that are still here
"I love to put people in new homes," we're here and ready to help." curity now offered are "comparable now and haven't changed their names
he added. to any of the major banks" – Marine is at least once," Penney said. "You won't
With the new Sebastian branch find many." 
"We made a big commitment in

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Beach repair O'Connor said traffic detours along will be the repair or replacement of the request and survey and approved reim-
busy Ocean Drive are being kept as large stairway over the dune line from bursement, can repair work begin.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 brief as possible, limited to a Mon- the beach access path at the A1A-Bahia
day- Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. window, and Mar intersection, which was completely The wait time was long, O'Connor
project covers approximately 400 feet then only when the equipment is actu- torn away during the hurricane. said, because FEMA dispatched only
of shoreline, from the south end of ally on site. Dan Rodriguez of the City's one inspection team to cover the
the boardwalk north to the lifeguard Public Works Department has been on Why has it taken four months for whole east coast of Florida, starting
shack, a stretch City Manager Jim O' hand to ensure safe traffic flow. these projects to get going? in south Florida and working its way
Connor called “our worst post-storm north, finally making it to Indian River
dune problem.” Mancil has also been contracted for O'Connor said that order for a local County in January.
the City's Humiston Beach renour- government to receive reimbursement
The job was expected to consume ishment project, because, O'Connor for storm damage from the federal Yet another challenge, he said, was
about 15,000 cubic yards of govern- says, the sand is available, the price government, FEMA must inspect torn that, as more and more projects were
ment-approved sand that contractor is right and the contractor is already up beaches and dunes before a single given the go-ahead, the sand contrac-
Mancil's Tractor Service of Palm City here. The Humiston job is a smaller, spoonful of sand is moved. tors begin to get booked up, because
has been hauling in since Jan. 21. with a price tag of $45,000. everyone is rushing to get their beach
The city or county must produce pho- projects done by March 1: State law for-
The company is also replacing the The City's only other remaining storm- tos of what the site looked like before bids disruptive activity – such as bulldoz-
black fabric windscreen, which was related beach project, said O'Connor, the storm, and a survey must be done. ers spreading sand – on beaches during
ripped from the boardwalk's east side by Only then, after FEMA has studied the turtle nesting season.
the storm, according to Mancil’s employ-
ee Mike Waters. This involves stapling Up in Orchid, Town Manager Noah
the fabric to the boardwalk, then secur- Powers authorized a dune survey af-
ing it with furring strips, a time-consum- ter the October storm and Guettler
ing process that Waters estimates could Brothers Construction of Fort Pierce
take a week and a half at least. began dumping 15,000 tons of state-
approved, inland sand on Jan. 24.
When the windscreen is in place,
sand placing and tapering will com- The $380,350 emergency beach re-
plete the dune rebuild. nourishment project has now been
completed, re-stabilizing the stretch of
The project also includes replac- city shoreline between Sanderling and
ing damaged sections of Ocean Drive, Wabasso that suffered a 50-foot dune
where sidewalks and pavement col- wash-out in Matthew's wet, windy
lapsed after being undermined by wake, and Town of Orchid beaches
storm waves. have re-opened. 















14 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero Nobody seems to know. nomic impact of spring training around are, I'd bet that a lot of the people who
Historic Dodgertown doesn't keep the state, could provide any hard infor- come to Florida for spring training
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 track of visitors who aren't connected mation about Grapefruit League-related make a point of going to Vero Beach,"
to events held at the complex. Nor does visits to Historic Dodgertown. Gandy said. "Dodgertown, with all its
and we're helping fill hotel rooms and the county or the Chamber of Com- history, is still a special place."
restaurants around town." merce or the Treasure Coast Sports But Nick Gandy, the foundation's
Commission. communications director, believes the In 2014, in fact, Historic Dodger-
How many of those hotel rooms and "We do get calls from visitors ask- numbers could be significant. town was designated a Florida Heri-
restaurants are filled by spring-train- ing about Dodgertown," said Allison tage Landmark for its unique historic
ing visitors stopping in Vero Beach to McNeal, the Chamber's tourism direc- Gandy said many of the out-of-state significance extending beyond base-
spend time at Historic Dodgertown tor. "But there's no way to know how visitors who plan trips to Florida's ball – specifically because it was the
before continuing on to major league many of them are coming down for spring-training sites in Port St. Lucie first racially-integrated spring training
camps in Port St. Lucie, Jupiter or West spring training or how many actually (Mets), Jupiter (St. Louis Cardinals and site in the South.
Palm Beach? go to Dodgertown." Miami Marlins) and West Palm Beach
Not even the Florida Sports Founda- (Washington Nationals and Houston And for those wondering: Historic
Nine years after the Dodgers headed tion, which promotes Florida's sports Astros) are avid and knowledgeable Dodgertown encourages you stop in,
west, does spring training in Florida – industry and annually monitors the eco- baseball fans. tour the premises and reminisce.
especially along the I-95 corridor – still
provide a boost to our local economy? "I don't have the statistics to back it "We welcome you here," Callan said.
up, but, as nostalgic as baseball fans "We want you to come through the
gates and spend time driving around
or walking the grounds. Peter came
back here because he wanted to keep
the history of the Dodgertown alive.

"The Dodgers are gone and you're not
going to see a major league spring train-
ing game, but if you're a true baseball
aficionado, you'll enjoy just being here,"
he added. "It's more like a pilgrimage
now, like going to a walking museum."

Historic Dodgertown charges a
nominal fee for admission, but only
when there are scheduled games or
tournaments on the property.

"Otherwise, we're wide open," Cal-
lan said. "And the facility is actually
in better shape now than when the
Dodgers were here."

This year, for the first time since the
Space Coast Stadium complex opened
in 1994, Brevard County will not be
part of the Grapefruit League. The Na-
tionals moved their spring-training
headquarters from Viera to the new
Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

SoVero Beach is no longer sandwiched
between two spring-training sites.

"I don't know if that helps or hurts,"
said Rick Hatcher, executive director of
the Treasure Coast Sports Commission.
"Nationals fans visiting Viera weren't
that far away. But now, if you're com-
ing down I-95 on a spring-training trip,
your first stop can be Dodgertown."

But there's no way to know how of-
ten that happens. To be blunt: It has
been a long time since Historic Dodg-
ertown was Dodgertown.

The place probably means more to
us – to the people fortunate enough
to live here and remember what made
spring training in Vero Beach so mem-
orable – than it does to today's typical
baseball fan.

But Dodgertown is all about memo-
ries. And memories are all we have left.

"I don't foresee spring training com-
ing back to Vero Beach," Callan said.
"No major league team has expressed
any interest in coming here."

Some baseball fans, though, con-
tinue to include Vero Beach on their
Grapefruit League map.

All these years later, they still “gotta
go to Dodgertown.” 



16 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Emily, Pam and Ned Sherwood. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD Lorne Waxlax, Vicky Tulloch and Dave Brown.
Linda Arnold with Juan and Alexandria Podesta.
Shirley Scott, Linda Teetz and Baerbel O’Haire.

Chris and Barbara Mortenson with Dick Stockton. Dick and Rosemary Haverland. SUPPER CLUB PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
Sherrie Petermann, Edie Dubord and Geri Altieri.

D’lectable! Brian d’Arcy James enchants at Supper Club

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF down memory lane, my talents and even what is happening with theater in Vero
Staff Writer performing a piece he mapped out my ca- Beach.”
wrote, as well as songs reer when one of my
Brian d’Arcy James, recording art- by Sting and Billy Joel Broadway shows The women of the Friends Commit-
ist and award-winning star of stage and Broadway favor- ended sooner than tee, currently chaired by Emily Sher-
and screen, left the audience want- ites, including hits expected,” said James. wood, work tirelessly to raise capital to
ing even more at the conclusion of from “Titanic,” “Sweet “He wrote a show for supplement the theater’s annual oper-
the eighth annual Riverside Theatre Smell of Success” and me with classic songs.” ating costs through fundraising events
Supper Club, An Evening with Brian “Shrek.” Longtime advocate Nan- such as the Supper Club.
d’Arcy James, hosted by the Riverside cy Goodes originally created
Theatre Friends Committee last Mon- James’ wife Jennifer Prescott, the concept of Riverside’s Supper Club “Ticket sales only cover 50 percent
day evening. a Riverside repeat performer, joined and Allen Cornell, producing artistic of the theater’s operation,” explained
him on stage to perform “Hard Knock director/CEO, pointed out that while Oscar Sales, Riverside’s marketing di-
Before his performance, the 270 Life” from “Annie” and an encore per- she and husband Mel no longer live rector. “We are very fortunate to have
guests enjoyed cocktails in the Orchid formance of “I Love You.” in the area, it is through their endow- a Friends committee that helps raise
Lobby and dined in the Waxlax The- ment that Supper Club events will live funds for the theater to help in that re-
atre, which had been transformed into Also in the audience were his Broad- on for many years to come. gard. They do three events a year – Fall
the Riverside Theatre Skyline Room, way co-stars Michele Ragusa and Sta- Cornell also gave high praise to Luncheon, Supper Club and Benefit
on a scrumptious chicken Marsala cey Logan Lewis. Ragusa, who will event chair Rosemary Haverland “for Gala, which will be March 6 this year.”
supper catered by Elizabeth D. Ken- star in Riverside’s upcoming produc- a superb job in creating a glittering
nedy & Co. tion of “Mame,” worked with James evening.” James closed the show by ac-
in “Titanic,” and he performed with “We are thrilled to have Brian knowledging the audience for their
As guests savored the last of their Lewis in “Sweet Smell of Success.” d’Arcy James in Vero Beach at last,” part in keeping theater alive, say-
hazelnut chocolate gelato, James’ in- said Haverland. “I love the theater ing, “Thank you for not only coming
fectious personality drew the crowd The local connection goes even and have been involved in different but for supporting Riverside Theatre
into the salon-style soirees of a bygone deeper for James; his uncle, the late cities for years. It is so exciting to see and for the incredible venue it is. It
era. Lou Hagopian, was a Riverside board shows what a tremendous commu-
member for many years. nity this is because of your support
James took the audience on a trip for live performing arts.” 
“My uncle was a great supporter of



18 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

SUPPER CLUB PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Susan Pyles, Jim Mills and Cathy Padgett. Bob and Joan Peirce.
Cordia Fischer, Connie McGlynn and Jill Benedict.

Mel Teetz and Libby Thompson. Jim and Donna Waterston. Liz Melnick and Sherry Brown.

Jennifer Prescott, Mary James, Susan Goddard and Terry Flaherty.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 19

PEOPLE

Jeanne and Jim Manley. Wheatie Gibb and Heidi Waxlax. Ned Benedict and Gary Fischer.

Judy and Bill Schneebeck, Ellie Lloyd and Jack Meyers.

Stacey Lewis, Susan Crocker, Jennifer Miller and Melinda Cooper.

Elizabeth Kennedy and Shelia Mills. Dale and Matilde Sorensen.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Golf/croquet event swings into action for needy seniors

BY MARY SCHENKEL pieces of jewelry and a “Wait List Re- joyed being a Meals on Wheels volun- “The dollars raised last year
Staff Writer lief” paddle raise. teer. helped support our Wait List Relief
program, which is now feeding an
Homebound seniors who might “Please feel good about all you have “The Senior Resource Association additional 88 homebound seniors
otherwise go hungry will have a hot accomplished today because you are is dedicated to supporting and ad- every day,” said Deigl, referenc-
meal delivered to them every day supporting the seniors of our com- vocating for independence in older ing the number of people assisted
thanks to the efforts of Mike and Sassy munity. And I don’t know about you, adults in Indian River County. Our through cumulative dollars raised
Smith, who enlisted the support of Ve- but I sure want an advocate looking goal is to help seniors stay in their overall last year. “The demand is
ro’s philanthropic community for the out for me when I get old,” quipped home for as long as possible; to stay growing and the need is so critical.
second annual Pro-Am Charity Golf Mike Sassy in his welcome. He related among their treasures,” said Deigl. As of today there are now 105 more
Classic and Croquet Tournament at that he became involved after his late “Because of donors like you and vol- homebound seniors on the wait-
Riomar Country Club to benefit the father told him how much he had en- unteers in our community, our Meals list.”
Senior Resource Association. on Wheels program fed more than
60,000 hot meals to seniors last year. She recalled that one man on the
“This is the second year they’ve That’s an average of 350 seniors that wait list told her that when his meal
done this for us; it’s just amazing,” are given a hot meal each day.” was delivered he felt as if he’d won
said Karen Deigl, SRA president and the lottery.
CEO. Almost more importantly in some
cases, the process affords a daily Deigl also recognized the Meals
Participants in the multifaceted wellness check and an opportunity on Wheels volunteers, stressing
event had a choice of playing golf in a for sometimes otherwise forgotten, that they are the ones who make
foursome with a PGA pro at Riomar’s lonely seniors to socialize. Other pro- the program possible. They are cur-
stunning oceanfront course, or com- grams include Emergency Meals on rently short by about 50 of the 150
peting in a tournament in the reinvig- Wheels for seniors discharged from volunteers needed to deliver meals.
orated game of croquet. Players were healthcare facilities, and Social Con-
joined later by dinner-only guests for gregate Meals for mobile seniors. “The seniors we serve are so ap-
cocktails and a gourmet dinner before preciative of the hot meals and the
auctioneer Neil Saffer presided over Each year there are many more volunteers who visit,” said Deigl.
an auction of highly desirable trips adults lingering on a wait list for the “Understand and know that what
and golfing experiences, exceptional public funding needed before they can you’re doing today really does make
become Meals on Wheels recipients. a difference.” 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 21

PEOPLE

Karen Deigl with Mike and Sassy Smith. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Nancy Faigen and Linda Currie. Marlynn and Bill Scully.

Adam Rainaud, Art and Joan Wright, David Haynes and Gary Frazier. Gary Smith, Neill and Linda Currie, Nancy Faigen and John Corbett.

Denise Battaglini and Karen Campbell. Fritz and Gay Blaicher.

PRO-AM PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
Ted and Dawn Michaels, with Sherry Ann and Ned Dayton and Michael Challenor.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PRO-AM PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Alan Temple, Mark Morein, Mike Barbosa and Troy Lamm. Rich Waage, Bela Nagy and Matthew Challenor.
Lynn and Barry Wiksten, Barbara Diemer and Trude Rainone.

Judy Munn, Dr. Alastair Kennedy, Ann Piper and Bruce Carson. Herb Kent and Sandy Leary. Cheryl Johns with Carrie and Jim Adams, and Chris Johns.

Sally Spilman, Nancy Ofstie and Judy Bradley. Joan Fay, Janet Field and Sassy Smith. Taylor Kahlman with Cheryl and Chris Johns.

Judy Bradley and Nancy Ofstie.

Susan Sheridan, John Osborn, and Ann Clarkson.









Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

anyway?” he seemed to say.
Last Saturday Fredo’s party got

off to a barking good start on the
sunny, late-winter afternoon. All
fluffed, and brushed and acces-
sorized, extremely well-behaved
pooches of every size and breed
raced about in the large, grassy lot
next door, which owner and new
Orchid resident Priyanka Singh and
her family had made available for
the day.

While dog parents chatted and
enjoyed the refreshments, the well-
mannered pooches socialized and
exchanged wag-and-sniffs. Among
the guests: first-timers Ginger, a
sheltie, with her mom Margaret
Watkins; and Sir Bentley, a Cava-
lier King Charles, with dad John
Hankins. Suki, a pug, attended with
mom Nancy Milsten and looked
fashionable in a red scarf.

Fredo introduced his BFF, Check-
ers, a Havanese, and Checkers’
brother Spanky, a Cocker Spaniel
mix who came with parents Ken
and Nan Morton.

Riley, there with humans Penny
and Bob Campbell, was eager to
greet his pooch pals and get the
party started. Italian water dog
Tufo, with parents Marty and Bill
Paine, was busy looking for a place
to put the special birthday card he’d
brought for Fredo. Tufo’s older litter
brother Luka also attended and the
two wasted no time tumbling about
in the grass. Luka, with help from
parents Nancy and Ted Meredith,
had brought an armful of chewy and
squeaky toys for the shelter pups.

Resting after a morning at agility
class was Airedale Sadie with mom
Gale Dorsey, and Italian greyhound
Will hanging out with mom JoAnn
Daniel and niece Leah. Border col-
lie Mulligan was enjoying the party
with humans Kathleen and Tom
O’Brien; Sassy, another Cavalier
King Charles, looked sweet and
girly with red ribbons in her curly
ears and came with mom Nancy
Hardy; and a sweet little pit bull
Dazie, with mom Linda Kane, was
party-ready in her purple collar.

Orchid Island Club Membership
Director Jackie Kennedy is cred-
ited with pulling the event together
and coordinating everything with
the Humane Society. Kennedy esti-
mates that at least 70 percent of the
community’s residents have dog
family members.

By the end of the day, the gen-
erous Orchid Island pooches and
their owners had assembled an-
other large assortment of donations
to help less fortunate canines still
waiting for their forever home. 

28 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

FREDO PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 Bandit.
Janet Kelly with Maddie, Carol Henking with Bentley, Mary Schwartz and Rosemary Haase.

Jackie Kennedy with Daisy. Nanny Hoehn with Nellie.

Laurie Crandall and Kathy Wilson with Yankee Doodle. Marty and Bill Paine with Tufo.

Kim Stolz and Cary Gibson with Izzy. Kathleen and Tom O’Brien with Mulligan.

Joe and Sharon Harding with Lulu. Penny and Bob Campbell with Riley.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 29

PEOPLE

Attendees all ears at Alfred Corn poetry reading

BY MARY SCHENKEL Laura Riding Jackson Foundation Reception. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Staff Writer LRJ PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

“Welcome to the first annual Alfred “I set this up through Nancy Offutt journey of his personal experiences and it’s that struggle to find a verbal
Corn poetry reading in Vero Beach,” because I wanted him to meet some and world travels, closing with a Q&A equivalent,” said Corn when asked
joked Indian River County Poet Lau- like-minded people in Vero Beach; with his enthralled audience. what drew him to poetry. And, offering
reate Sean Sexton, only half kidding Vero’s poetry society. When my book encouragement to aspiring poets and
as he welcomed invited guests to a was coming out last year, I had a ques- “It’s a pleasure playing with words poetry devotees everywhere, he noted,
reception for renowned poet Alfred tion on how to end it and he helped me. and moving sentences around; it’s like “Sometimes you hear the day of great
Corn hosted by the Laura (Riding) We came from such different back- putting together a crossword. We all poets is over. I don’t think so.” 
Jackson Foundation. grounds; I was science and he was aca- have insights into what the world is,
demic.”
The erudite group gathered Satur-
day evening at the picturesque Rio- A prolific and accomplished writer,
mar home of Marie Stiefel for cock- Corn has published 10 books of poems;
tails and an open-air poetry reading a novel entitled “Part of His Story”;
by Corn, who has been recognized, two essay collections and “The Poem’s
among other honors, with a Guggen- Heartbeat,” a study of prosody, poet-
heim Fellowship, a fellowship from ry’s rhythms and patterns.
the Academy of American Poets, and
awards from the Academy of Arts and Before each reading, Corn shared
Letters and the National Endowment the story and thought process behind
for the Arts. his wonderful poetry, beginning, with
a nod to his shared ancestry with Le-
Thanking Stiefel for again gracious- masters, with a poem relating to John
ly providing such a delightful venue, Peter Corn, an ancestor from Virginia
Sexton said, “We have this wonder- who served during the Revolution-
ful person who opens her home and ary War under Washington at Valley
opens her heart to all of us.” Forge.

Corn was in town to visit with his At times touching, at times humor-
relatively newfound cousin Martha ous, Corn took listeners on a poetic
Lemasters. The two are fostering a re-
lationship that began just 18 months
ago when they discovered through
Ancestry.com that they were related.
When she knew he was headed down
for a visit, Lemasters contacted Nancy
and Harry Offutt to arrange the get-
together.

“I was researching my dad’s fam-
ily and come to find out we have the
same grandmother; she raised my
dad,” said Lemasters. A writer herself,
Lemasters’ memoir, “The Step: One
Woman’s Journey to Finding her own
Happiness and Success during the
Apollo Space Program,” chronicles
her experiences as a single mother
of three working in a man’s world at
Cape Kennedy.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

LRJ PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Jennifer Hawthorne, Warren Obluck and Lilli Botchis.
Marie Stiefel, Alfred Corn and Martha Lemasters.

Johanna Jones and Sean Sexton. Patti Lyons and Nancy Offutt. Susan Jaramillo and Andrew Currie.

Eugene Hynes, Leonor Gonzalez and Deming Holleran.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 31

PEOPLE

Wanda and Sean Welch with Cherry Houck. J.J. Wilson, Catherine Walker and Melinda Delashmutt.

Janet Hoffman and Charlotte Terry. Pam Gordinier and Nancilee Wydra.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

In good steed at 4-H Valentine Open Horse Show

Becky Seton, Carol Gollnick, Sandy Curl and Darren Cole. Karen Diaz, Terri McKenzie and Joanne Bartolucci.

Alaina Wolf and horse George. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD

Charlotte McKenzie. Franny Watford and Erin Graul with Abigail, Allison, Liz and Steve Smith. Emma Rosselle, Amelia McKenzie and Michelle Penly.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF and health. members that come back say they will raise animals for the fair, and
Staff Writer Riders from 8 years of age and learned poise, confidence and the while raising the animals, they are
ability to speak in front of people.” learning valuable life skills. We’re
For nearly 60 years the 4-H Horse- up, from beginners to advanced, working to grow the program and in-
masters have had a hand in shaping competed in nearly 40 categories of Becky Seton’s parents were part of troduce more science-based activi-
the young leaders of Indian River Western and English Pleasure and that first Valentine Show also, with ties, like the Horticulture Club at the
County, teaching valuable life les- Showmanship classes. Seton recalling, “They were here Gifford Youth Achievement Center.”
sons to multiple generations, and when the show started. I rode and
instilling in them a commitment to Proceeds from the annual Val- showed and so did my daughter. I’ve “Some things never change,” said
their community. entine Show enable 4-H members seen what it’s done for her. I’m still Barbara Ellison, an 81-year-old for-
to participate in horse judging and involved after all these years for the mer newspaper reporter. “I was a
The annual Valentine Open Horse demonstration contests, record book kids. It’s a great club.” stringer and wrote ‘News and Views
Show at the Indian River Riding and Hippology (equine knowledge) of the Horsey Scene.’ I even judged
Club Arena holds a special place in competitions, and horse shows on a The Indian River County 4-H cur- this show. It’s nice to come back and
the hearts of many longtime Vero local, area, state and national level. rently has around 250 members see that the 4-H is still such a big
residents, and while the faces and ranging in age from 5 to 18; Horse- part of the community.”
steeds may have changed, many of Carol Gollnick, who served as masters is the oldest of the 4-H Club
the names at this year’s 46th annual president at the first Valentine show, groups. The club’s culminating event is
show remained the same. Several still devotes her time to the club. the 4-H Fair Show and Auction, held
of the founding families now have County 4-H Extension Agent Dar- in conjunction with the Indian River
great-grandchildren carrying on the “I joined 4-H when my girls were ren Cole works with the various County Firefighters’ Fair at the Indi-
organization’s mission to develop 10 years old. It teaches the kids re- clubs on youth development. an River County Fairgrounds, where
young leaders in four personal areas sponsibility, leadership and how to participants will exhibit their proj-
of development: head, heart, hands be an all-around horseman. They “I train volunteers to teach life ects March 10-19. For show schedule,
learn to care for the horses, respon- skills through projects involv- visit FirefightersFair.org. 
sibility, record keeping and public ing horses, livestock, cooking and
speaking,” shared Gollnick. “The speaking,” explained Cole. “The kids

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 33

PEOPLE

Faye Keen, Abby Colvin and Kari Cundiff. Brett Duncan with Pam and Don Bjornstad. Brittany and Beth Wood.

Quiana Krabec with Chrome.

Jennifer Seton and Ricky.
Barbara Ellison and Paige Smith.













40 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Abstracts attract: Miller’s ‘Jumping Off Walls’ exhibit

BY ELLEN FISCHER Arts. In Florida, Gustaf Miller’s work is “I grew up in Valley
Columnist in the Arts on Douglas Gallery in New
Smyrna Beach. Public collections that Cottage, New York – it’s
Seated amidst his creations in a new hold his work include the Museum of
exhibition, one of Vero’s favorite art- Fine Arts in Boston; Addison Gallery a very small town on the
ists, Gustav Miller, reflected on how of American Art in Andover, Mass.;
architecture has been an inspiration DeCordova Museum and Sculpture west side of the Hudson
for his art. Garden in Lincoln, Mass.; and the Vero
Beach Museum of Art. River. We were only 60
Miller chose the title of his Center
for Spiritual Care show – Jumping Off At the Center for Spiritual Care, minutes out of New York
Walls – because many of the works are there is his 52-inch tall sculpture,
a result of his 25-year fascination with “Red Cubed Façade,” a square tower City,” he says.
depicting buildings and in particular composed of red cubes of wood with
treating their exterior walls as surfaces children’s building blocks inter- For an imaginative
for abstract compositions. spersed throughout. The façade of the
building is punctuated at intervals by boy, the distance that
The more than two dozen works tiny windows.
include his abstract “Wall” paintings; separated Gotham from
three scaled-down building sculp- Next to it is “Checkered Building,”
tures; and a hybrid creature that Miller which may put you in mind of a child’s his hometown was the
calls a “Carry Back,” the subject of six recreation of the Empire State Building
paintings and a sculpture. from odds and ends in dad’s woodshop difference between
– only wittier, and better crafted.
Miller and his wife, artist Janvier mundane reality and ro-
Miller, have been seasonal beach- Miller’s playful use of material, color
side residents of Vero since 1985; their and pattern in his buildings suggest mantic adventure.
summer home is in Stonington, Conn. that he spent his youth playing with
Gustaf as well as Janvier show their blocks and pieces of scrap wood, “but “When you go into
work in annual summer exhibitions at no more than most kids,” he says.
Connecticut’s Mystic Museum of Art New York City and you
and the Connecticut Academy of Fine Childhood trips to the big city, how-
ever, left a lasting impression on him. don’t live there, you al-

ways see it with fresh

eyes. You see the build-

ings, and it’s much more

impressive than it would

be if it was your place of

residence,” Miller says.

He began to use build-

ings as subject matter

for his art in the 1980s,

but says that architec- Art by Gus Miller on display at the
Center for Spiritual Care. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE
tural influences began

to creep into his work

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 41

ARTS & THEATRE

many-times overpainted isolated between vacant lots where based on actual buildings, Miller is
connecting buildings once stood. in the habit of taking photographs of
Art by Gus Miller on display at the walls that you see on the derelict buildings to use as reference
Center for Spiritual Care. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE sides of big-city buildings. The side walls of Miller’s archetypal material.
structure still bear evidence of the ab-
His first building sculp- sent buildings’ floors, with phantom “I’ve always liked to have some kind
rooms traced in areas of non-sequen- of basis for my abstraction,” he says.
tures were his “storefronts”; tial color. There are remnants of brick
partitions, and niches where floor That is true especially of his paint-
diminutive, box-like sculp- joists attached to the once-shared sup- ings, especially those from the Wall
porting walls. series that followed a spate of 3-D
tures whose fronts were buildings.
“On walls exposed by tearing build-
modeled and painted to ings down, you see a little bit of the his- It won’t be too difficult to identify
tory of the buildings – that they were those works in the show; Miller likes
look like the peeling facades populated by people, there were kitch- to give his paintings titles that hint
ens and stairwells,” says Miller. at their architectural origins. “Yellow
of moribund small busi- Upper Wall,” “Red Wall” and “Battered
While none of his sculptures are
nesses. Designed to hang on CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

the wall, the storefronts are

reminiscent of something

you might have seen in your

youth from the window of

a Greyhound bus, rolling

through an anonymous city.

While there are none of

these in the current show,

the Vero Beach Museum of

as early as 1964, the year Miller com- Art owns an untitled Miller storefront

pleted his MFA at Syracuse University. from 1987. The nostalgic punch it packs

At that time he found inspiration in is considerably larger than its tiny size:

abstract artist Frank Stella’s wall-sized a fraction over 9 inches high, just un-

“pinstripe paintings” of repeating geo- der a foot wide, and only 3 inches deep.

metric shapes. Paintings based on buildings fol-

“I was doing grids and horizon- lowed the storefronts. After that, notes

tal bars in my paintings, but I didn’t Miller, the next step was “jumping off

know that I would eventually prog- the walls,” that is, once again creating

ress to walls.” models of buildings, only this time in

In Miller’s case, “walls” does not re- the round and on a larger scale.

fer to murals or even huge artworks, In the current show, the sculpture

but rather to paintings in which he “Red Cubed Façade” was based on the

depicts the type of scarred, faded, type of building you may have seen

Played D&isplayed

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42 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 ARTS & THEATRE

Wall” are all on display. merly vacant space demanded to be ‘50 Reasons to Love Vero’
The scars and scratches, splatters filled. author’s photo-essay guide

and drips on the paintings look like “You just want to have another little BY ELLEN FISCHER an area rich with artists and authors
their surfaces have seen wear and tear feature there,” he insists. from the past and present; author Su-
from time immemorial. “Fresh and Columnist zan Phillips spent her formative years
new” is not in Miller’s vocabulary. “It’s strictly a device,” he adds. just down the street and the Sandfly
But not strictly a device. A sense of Award-winning Vero Beach author Scribblers, a local writing group, meets
“If you paint them to look like new human scale is implied by that door- Mary Calhoun Brown has written a nearby to collaborate and share cre-
walls, that would be kind of boring,” way. Its minute size suggests that the novel of her own, translated a classic ative support.
he says. structure depicted in front of it is very, into southern colloquialism and de-
very large in relationship to that por- veloped a guide on how to open a clinic With the youngest of their three
In the manner of consummately ex- tal – sort of like a skinny wooden horse for addicted babies, based on her own sons heading off to college this fall,
ecuted artworks, Miller’s paintings are standing before the battle-scarred non-profit clinic in Huntington, West the couple decided it was time to make
timeless in their appeal. You can relate ramparts of Troy. Virginia. their home in a place where the boys
to them because their scuffed colors, Also on display a wood sculpture and their future families would be
abraded textures and perfectly imper- that came after a “Carry Back” painting It is her latest work, though, a paper- drawn to visit.
fect details remind you not of a specific is a free-standing horse with a rounded back guide to Vero called “50 Reasons
locale, but of an experience you have wedge of a neck and a stubby block for to Love Vero Beach and the Treasure “We love our little town in West Vir-
had – or perhaps survived – in some a tail. Upon its rectangular back rests Coast,” that has taken the longest, at ginia, but who wouldn’t pick the beach
place, at some time. a cube, a cylinder and a sphere. The least in terms of research. Brown has over dreary winter weather?” asks
entire sculpture wears a parti-colored been visiting Vero Beach with her fam- Brown.
The “Carry Backs” in the show may patina of black, white and gray paint. ily for years. “I have pictures of my kids
seem to be independent of the wall ab- “Yeah, it kind of gives you the feel- growing up on the beaches here,” she While overseeing the remodeling of
stracts, with a figure-ground relation- ing of a horse, but it’s not actually says. their new home, Brown took up daily
ship between a sawhorse-like object intended to make people think of a excursions to find things for her sons
placed in front of an aged wall, but horse,” says Miller, who adds with a One has to wonder if there is “some- to do when they visited.
Miller is quick to clarify the situation. giggle, “I don’t want to say it’s a horse thing in the water” in the Old Riomar
– it could be a llama.” area, where Brown and her husband, “We would spend a week here and
“They are very two-dimensional. W. Campbell Brown Jr., recently pur- not leave the beach,” she says. “I
It’s a two-dimensional type of ap- “Gus Miller: Jumping Off Walls” chased a home. Whether by choice couldn’t believe how much there was
proach. There’s no sense of depth in continues through Feb. 28. The art- or by chance, Brown has settled into to see and do.”
the paintings.” ist will be present on Sunday, Feb. 26,
from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Cen- “I started making little notes to my-
The painting “Carry Back Dark” ter for Spiritual Care is at 1550 24th St.
features a tiny rectangle between the in Vero Beach.  
horse’s legs that can be read as a door
or gateway. Miller explains that “the
little entryway at the bottom” came
about when he decided that the for-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 43

ARTS & THEATRE

self. One night my husband said ‘Why ence Brown calls both “terrifying and Mary Brown Calhoun. Brown says it’s easier to laugh about
don’t you just write a book?’” very fulfilling.” her “flop” now, but she would write the
PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE same book if she had it to do all over
“Fifty Reasons to Love Vero Beach When her son was ready to go back again if for no other reason than she
& the Treasure Coast” is organized as to school, Brown faced a dilemma. “All Week. It quoted her opening line: “’Jest enjoyed it. “There were times when I
a photo essay, the insight of someone my kids were now in school. How do ’bout everybody ’round here knows was writing that I would have to stop
discovering Vero. you redefine yourself as a mom?” she that if’n a feller’s got two cents to rub and just laugh at how hilarious I am.
recalls asking. together, he’s a-lookin’ fer a right-nice The true joy – as any writer will tell you
Her awe of the natural beauty and girl to git hitched to.’” – is in the writing.”
history of Vero Beach are apparent The answer was right in front of
through her descriptions. Since the her. She wrote “There Are No Words” Brown chuckles. “As they say in the When the vivacious writer found
book was published, she’s already straight from the heart, as she puts it. literary world, it was not well received. herself between projects again, she de-
come across more she would love to I was just being funny. Where else cided to volunteer at a hospital calm-
add. “And I still have plenty to learn The story is told from the perspec- but in rural Appalachia can you have ing drug addicted babies in a rocking
about the area.” tive of a non-verbal autistic girl who, a woman trying to marry off her five
after falling back in time through a teenage daughters? The only character CONTINUED ON PAGE 44
She’s even included a postcard hop- painting, can communicate for the that stays exactly the same is Mary, the
ing to elicit suggestions, for use in an first time in her life. quirky one. She’s the one I wanted to
update or expanded version. be autistic.”
After the book’s success, Brown
A graduate of Marshall University decided to take on another passion:
in journalism and mass communica- Jane Austen.
tions, she went on to write for the West
Virginia Chamber of Commerce before Austen fans call themselves Janeites;
staying home to raise her three sons. Brown is a self-proclaimed Janeiac.
What better way to pay homage to her
Brown co-wrote two financial literary hero than to create a mod-
planning books with her husband, a ern version of “Pride and Prejudice”?
financial adviser, and then went on to Brown’s “Pride and Prejudice with a
write a novel. “There Are No Words” Side of Grits” was a translation of sorts,
won 11 literary awards, she says, most written in what Brown calls “hillbilly”
notably an IBBY, the Swiss award for and southern colloquialism.
books for young people; and an Eric
Hoffer award. Hers wasn’t the first novel to emu-
late Austen’s work; there are a number
Her inspiration came from her own of variations on “Pride and Prejudice,”
family. Brown’s oldest son has As- including one with zombies and an-
perger syndrome. Picked on in middle other with vampires. Still, Brown’s ver-
school, she home-schooled him for sion earned a mention in an article on
seventh and eighth grade, an experi- the topic in the news magazine The

44 Vero Beach 32963 / February 23, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43 ARTS & THEATRE

chair. In West Virginia, one in 12 ba- The beautiful and haunting ‘Lady Day’
bies are born addicted to drugs, the
third highest rate in the U.S. BY MICHELLE GENZ And not only drinking, which she does remarkable production at the Henegar
Staff Writer with relish on stage, but heroin too. She that sadly closed last weekend – with
Brown dealt with one mother so shoots up during an off-stage break, even an added show sold out within
desperate for drugs that she used Melbourne’s New Haven Avenue was returning with one white-satin sleeve minutes of its being offered. Cast with
gasoline to break down stolen cancer a madhouse for the last Friday Fest, still pushed up over her arm; a band local talent, it was essentially a one-
medication. like a major urban center. Steps away, member steps up to roll it back into woman show. Yet there was a sense
though, in the intimacy of the black place. that Holiday’s band backed up more
“These babies needed 24-hour box space upstairs at the Henegar Cen- than just her singing; they had the back
care and would be sent home with ter, the dark urbanity of another era Such tender details played out in the of Warren’s Holiday, to the bitter end.
mothers who couldn’t even take care played out.
of themselves. Something needed to The young trio included brothers
be done, but there wasn’t any place The bruising but beautiful slice of Ashton and Ethan Bailey-Gould (Ash-
for these babies to go.” life of the great jazz singer Billie Holi- ton is a student at Eastern Florida State
day that played out in “Lady Day at the College and Ethan is at Melbourne
In 2013, Brown and a nurse friend, Emerson Bar and Grille” was almost High). They were anchored by 23-year-
Sara Murray, opened Lily’s Place, a too sad to sit back and enjoy. Kristen old jazz pianist Jarred Armstrong, a na-
new model of care for babies born Warren left you guilt-ridden for grin- tive of St. Petersburg now living in Day-
drug-addicted. Their model for a res- ning at her irreverent, seductive and tona; equally talented on the alto sax,
idential infant recovery center that thoroughly broken portrayal of Holi- Armstrong is a student at Bethune-
also helps families is gaining atten- day. Cookman University.
tion across the nation as the number
of babies born with addiction has The play is a fictional recreation “Lady Day” was written in 1986 by
quadrupled in the past decade. of one of the great jazz singer’s last Lanie Robertson. It didn’t make it to
performances. Directed by Pam Har- Broadway until 2014, when it starred
To fill the growing need for care, baugh, the former culture columnist Audra McDonald. She won a Tony for
Brown wrote “How to Create a Neo- for Florida Today, with music direc- her role and reprised the role in 2016 for
natal Withdrawal Center.” The book tion by Jordan Evans, to whom Har- a taping that was broadcast on HBO.
takes nonprofits through the step- baugh gives great credit, the play takes
by-step process of developing a nur- place in a bar where Holiday was once The set is a reincarnation of a
turing center. a regular; now, she appears with a dif- banged-up south Philly nightclub
ferent piano player and a heavier habit. in 1959. The evening plays out just
If you missed her recent book months before Billie’s death at 44 of
signings for “50 Reasons,” you can
still pick up a copy at the Vero Beach
Book Center, Heritage Center, Ocean
Grill restaurant, Countryside Citrus
or on Kindle and Amazon. 

Attention
Artists!!

All donations from our first concert will support the Vero Beach Call to Artists for the
High School’s invitation to Austria to participate in an A.E. Backus Museum’s
International cultural exchange of music. “The Best Of The Best”

Admissions free, but donations accepted. 2017 Annual Juried Art Exhibit

OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS

Cash Prizes, Ribbons, Director’s Award
For complete rules and information download an

application online at BackusMuseum.com

Entries accepted between 3/8 - 3/12 and
3/15 - 3/18, 2017 during regular Museum hours
No entries accepted after 3 pm, Saturday, March 18, 2017

Exhibition dates March 23 - May 19, 2017
$25.00 per entry fee Judging from actual work (no slides)

Entries Accepted in 4 Categories:
Watercolor - Oil/Acrylic - Three Dimensional - Varied Techniques

(Mixed-Media/Pastel/Pencil/Monoprint/Graphic/Collage
Computer Generated/Other) Size Restrictions apply

AE Backus Museum
500 N. Indian River Drive • Fort Pierce, FL 34950

772.465.0630